Between Water and the Phoenix (Rewrite)
by Sangai-Havoc
Summary: (Rewrite) Merlin Ambrosias Tsunagi, descendant of the First Magician, was lying low till he was attacked by a False Hero. Now he's stuck between two Clans: Sitri and Phenex, as their [Pawn] and [Bishop] he'll have to juggle his own magical studies and experiments with his duties as a Devil. OcXHarem. Parts of Fairy Tail included.


"" - Speech

_'' - Thought_

**[] - Tiamat/ Dragons**

...

A five foot eight tall young man yawned into his open hand before moving to ruffle his scruffy mop of black hair, the tips a vibrant red which almost dominated his messy fringe. His eyes were sky blue and were behind a pair of purple rectangular framed glasses. From his uniform it was obvious that he attended Kuoh Academy, although he had replaced the ribbon with a black skinny tie and wore a pair of comfortable sneakers on his feet due to the long but peaceful walk he had to take each morning to get to the campus.

**[*Yawn*…How are you planning to spend your evening, Merlin?]** A female voice spoke up from the young man's mind, Merlin pondering the question before shrugging as he mentally replied

_'No idea Tiamat…Maybe work on the tomes, given the girls are busy with jobs I don't expect any uninvited guests'_

Merlin didn't notice the blonde haired beauty that was walking around the upcoming corner till it was too late, both colliding and falling onto there backsides as Merlin shook his head in confusion before picking himself up as he spoke "Sorry…"

The blonde quickly returned to her senses as she picked herself up, green eyes scanning around the floor to see if she'd dropped anything as she brushed down her uniform, making her large breasts bounce slightly from it. Merlin remembered seeing her amongst the third years, Reina Phenex if he recalled correctly, oldest daughter of the Phenex Clan and fourth out of five children.

She was considered one of the top contenders for trying to take one of the 'Onee-sama' positions from Rias Gremory or Akeno Himejima due to her hourglass figure which stood out more from the uniform and her long blonde hair which reached her thighs at the back in soft curls while was held in twin, chest length, plaits at the front with red ribbon keeping them together.

"You should be…Pervert" Reina retorted annoyed as she walked off, Merlin sighing to himself before finding his eyes drawn to a ruby chess piece lying on the ground. Picking it up he rolled the Bishop piece around between his fingers, guessing she had dropped it when she ran into him.

**[Looks like she didn't even pick up the spike in magical energy from you]** Tiamat spoke up thoughtfully, Merlin slipping into the inside pocket of his blazer as he mentally replied

_'Yeah…I best get it back to her later on when she's calmer. Rather not have Phenex Flames shot at me if she knew I was aware of the supernatural'_

Tiamat chuckled in response as Merlin continued on his way, soon noticing other students heading towards the same school he was. Mostly girls who were discussing there plans for the weekend while he noticed a few giving him embarrassed glances. Merlin was considered the smartest student of the second years, although he knew it was from his heritage to take in information and use if for himself. His tutors having said that he was a genius given his skill at learning and then explaining it in a way so others could understand it. He'd taken up to tutoring his fellow students himself, seeing as it would provide him with a good excuse to avoid meeting with the Devils that resided at his school, even if he was concealing his magical presence and by extension his dragon's aura.

Reaching the school gates, Merlin noticed two young women waiting on the grounds as they chatted with each other. The first was Sona Shitori, the Student Council President and otherwise known as Sona Sitri to the devils of the school, while the other was Tsubaki Shinra who was Sona's Vice President and [Queen]. He continued past them, not noticing Tsubaki slipping a folded up piece of paper into his school bag before seeing Sona give her a nod.

…

Entering his classroom, Merlin scowled as he heard the Perverted Trio's usual topic of discussion as he sat down near the window. He'd at least have expected that Hyodo Issei would've had the pervert knocked out of him by Koneko by now, since he'd joined the Occult Research Club, otherwise known as Rias Gremory's peerage.

**[It's laughable that Ddraig's inside that pervert]** Tiamat chuckled amused, Merlin smirking softly at what the dragon would think when it woke up as he pulled out what he needed from his bag.

"Merlin-san, are we still on for later?" A young woman with messy brown hair in two pig tails asked, her eyes hidden behind pink framed glasses as Merlin turned to her and nodded as he replied

"Yeah, Kiryuu-san…Is after school alright?" Kiryuu smirked as she nodded, moving to take her seat as Merlin cleaned his glasses for a moment before the teacher entered and started there lesson.

…

Merlin sighed as he started to walk back home, rubbing his temples with his fingers as he muttered "At least she didn't stare at my crotch this time…"

**[Well you have used magic to stop whatever her ability was, even if no one would notice it]** Tiamat chuckled amused, Merlin stepping into the park which provided the shortcut home.

His eyes narrowed at sensing the build up of holy energy from his side, holding his hand out towards it as a spear of light shot forth only to slam and explode against a white defensive magic circle that had appeared. A female Fallen Angel stepped out of the trees with a frown on her face as she crossed her arms under her large assets.

"Tch, a Magician…I didn't think this would be difficult" She spoke annoyed, Merlin rolling his eyes as he countered with a smirk

"So you really didn't do your homework did you?" Putting one hand into the pocket of his slacks, the Fallen Angel didn't notice the small yellow magic circle that formed on Merlin's palm as the Fallen Angel fumed as she created another spear of light in her hands as she shouted

"Don't you mock me, lowly human!" Merlin hopped out of the way of the next spear, throwing his hand out as he countered

"Thunder!" A bolt of thunder shot from his hand which the Fallen dodged by taking to the air while making another spear in her hand only for her eyes to widen as Merlin launched a spear of flames from his other hand. The spear clipped her side, burning her and her left wing as she screamed in pain and rage as she flung her spear back at him.

Merlin rolled out of the way of the light attack, swinging his hand in front of him and conjuring a large yellow magic circle which started to spark with electricity before Tiamat spoke up **[Damn it! Merlin they found us]**

Merlin silently cursed as he and the Fallen Angel heard footsteps coming from the side both turning to see a large built Greek man with short blond hair approach them with a smirk as he spoke "Hello Traitor!"

"Hello Hercules…I take it you're here to force me back into your group of fake Heroes" Merlin asked annoyed, taking a few steps before getting into a ready position.

"…Fake Heroes…? We are descendants of true Heroes, Merlin, those who made a difference to the world. Don't you want to prove that humans are the strongest?"

**[This is not good…]** Tiamat started, Merlin's eyes narrowing as she continued

**[His magical defence has got even tougher since last time we fought him as has his Sacred Gear]**

_'I guess we'll have to use that then unless you want to help me unlock my true Balance Break'_ Merlin replied mentally, Tiamat frowning in response

**[You know you've not been able to do something that would unleash my true Balance Break… and that artificial power you have isn't helping you unlock it]**

_'How else did you expect me to fight him? Plus Natsu had enough fun helping me test it out'_ Merlin mentally retorted getting Tiamat to sigh as the Fallen Angel shook at sensing the power from Hercules. A light spear formed in her hands which she threw quickly, Hercules catching it like it was nothing before turning to look at the Fallen Angel as he muttered

"Pathetic…" Hercules shattered the spear easily with his hand, making the Fallen Angel shake in fear as she made a new spear before charging with it only for her to explode after Hercules hit her with a punch, his [Variant Detonation] activating with but a thought.

"Now… Where were we?" Hercules asked as he turned back to Merlin who scowled as he held his hands out in a ready stance as he spoke

"[Blade-Wing Tonfa]" Forming in each hand was a tonfa which had a purple grip with a identical coloured jewel set on the top, the two poles were metallic blue and shaped like dragon wings curving up just past his elbows with sharp edges.

"What are those…? Your new little toy" Hercules asked smugly, Merlin smirking as he spoke two surprising words

"Balance Break!" Hercules' eyes widened in shock as a pillar of dark blue energy erupted around Merlin covering him from view as Tiamat's voice roared out.

**[Sub Species Balance Break: Chaos Dragon Slayer Force]**

The pillar dispersed a few moments later to reveal Merlin, who was now wearing a purple sleeveless jacket and black slacks that were tucked into black boots. Dark blue scales covering the sides of his face and neck while also going around his now purple reptilian eyes, his glasses having disappeared unneeded with his dragon like sight. Both of Merlin's arms were covered in thick dark blue scales, his fingernails now sharp claws.

"Heh, you couldn't beat me as a Magician so you became a dragon" Hercules scoffed, Merlin launching forwards with shocking speed before swinging a fist into Heracles' gut making his eyes widen in surprise as the wind was knocked from his lungs and he was forced back in a skid for several feet as Merlin muttered

"Your small mind couldn't understand what I did, Hercules… That's why you are a brawler and I am a Magician… **Chaos Dragon Roar!**" Merlin took a deep breathe, his cheeks expanding before he brought both hands up to channel the mixture of blue fire, lightning and misty ice that shot forwards from his mouth.

Hercules disappeared in the explosion, Merlin taking a moment to gauge his opponent before charging forwards with blue lightning covering both hands. Hercules burst out from the smoke, slight burns covering his arms as he gritted his teeth and drew back one of his fists.

"**Lightning Dragon Terravolt Claw**" Merlin roared, the blue lightning around his hands forming into large claws as he threw one hand forwards to meet the Greek's attack. The two attacks clashed in a giant explosion, mostly due to [Variant Detonation's] ability to create explosions, the smoke blasting away as Merlin declared

"**Ice Dragon Arctic Hammerarm**" Hercules' head reeled back as the bulky ice covered fist slammed into his chin, the Greek smirking as he adjusted his stance before bringing both hands down in a axe swing which was blocked by a arm covered in ice shaped like a wing. The resultant explosion making the crater the pair was standing in deeper while shattering the ice Merlin was using to defend himself.

Merlin gritted his teeth as he threw back a fist covered in blue flames back, feeling his injuries starting to affect him along with the drain on his magic by the Sub Species.

**[Merlin! The Sub Species is going to fall apart soon, you need to end this]** Tiamat warned as Merlin ducking under Hercules' fist before shouting

"**Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Azure Prominence Hailstorm!**" Merlin unleashed a barrage of strikes at Hercules, each one imbued with fire, ice or lightning magic as the Greek was forced back. A final uppercut launched Hercules into the air, Merlin panting as he took a deep breathe as he declared

"**Chaos Dragon** Roar…" Merlin's widened in shock as he felt the power from his forced Sub Species vanish, collapsing to one knee as his appearance and clothes returned to normal as he tried to regain his breathe as Tiamat spoke up

**[We need to get away now!]**

"Die Traitor!" Hercules shouted with a feral grin as he charged at Merlin, the magician managing to thrust an arm out as three white magic circles formed and merged into a single dome shaped shield around him as he muttered

"Guardian Dome…" Hercules growled as he smashed his fist against the dome and making a crack appear after the explosion had cleared. Merlin summoned a magic circle under his feet, hoping that his shield could hold out long enough for him to teleport to safety, only for his eyes to widen in shock as the circle shattered under his feet just as his own shield was destroyed and the explosion engulfed him.

"Haha! You didn't think we would let you escape, traitor… Georg gave me a charm to stop any transportation magic circles" Hercules laughed loudly, Merlin coughing up blood as he tried to pull himself back to his feet. The front of Merlin's school uniform had been destroyed in the blast as had his glasses, scorch marks covering his chest and face as Merlin brought both hands up in front of him with crossed palms as he growled out

"Abyss Break" The silver-grey magic circle appeared before him, Hercules looking shocked at seeing the black haired magician not only getting back up but activating a dangerously strong spell in his weakened state. Hercules silently sighed in relief as the magic circle failed and Merlin to spew up more blood before he collapsed backwards, grinning to himself as he walked off to tell the others of his victory against the Magician.

**[Merlin…Damn it, are you alright?]** Tiamat asked concerned, her eyes widening as she felt Merlin get weaker as she remembered what had happened earlier

**[Hold on Merlin, You'll be fine]** That was the last thing Merlin heard before everything went black.

…

**[Merlin…I had no choice but to get them to turn you into a devil.]** Tiamat spoke when Merlin regained consciousness, keeping his eyes closed as he mentally replied

_'It's alright…the girls would've been sad if I died and really it's my fault for not thinking that Georg wouldn't have planned someway to stop my escape'_

"What am I suppose to do now? I've lost my [Bishop] Piece" Reina's voice spoke out angrily, Merlin mentally arching an eyebrow as he asked

_'You managed to use Phenex's Bishop on me then…?'_ Tiamat nodded in response as she explained

**[Luckily you had Phenex's Bishop otherwise I don't think Sitri would've had enough to bring you back]**

"You should have kept a better eye on your Evil Pieces, Phenex" Sona Sitri spoke up in response to Reina while Merlin decided to expand his senses to cover the room they were in, picking up the demonic auras of several other people in the room, some seemed more familiar then others did.

_'I should've really checked out more then just Gremory's group cause of Ddraig'_ Merlin thought annoyed, slowly opening his eyes and realising he didn't have his glasses on. His blurry vision moved to take his current state, managing to see that he was naked and only covered by a thin blanket on what looked to be a three seat sofa.

"I'm taking him into my peerage, Sitri" Reina spoke as Sona quickly retorted

"You can't while my [Pawn] pieces are inside of him…So we have no choice but to share him" Neither seemed to notice that Merlin was awake as he rubbed his eyes with one hand before pulling a spare pair of glasses from his giant dimensional pocket before using some Re-quip magic to make a school uniform appear on him.

Merlin sat up, surprised that he wasn't suffering any pain as he looking at Reina and Sona shooting angry glares at each other before he spoke with a sigh "Thank you for bringing me back Sitri-san, Phenex-san"

"Oh…So you knew already, Tsunagi-san?" Sona asked slightly surprised along with Reina as Merlin nodded and replied

"I take after my namesake and ancestor in that regard…I knew of you, Phenex-san and Gremory-san the moment I stepped onto the school grounds during my first day. Personally I would've thought that you'd suppress your demonic aura while around humans…especially with Fallen Angels and Priests about" A small part of Merlin thought it would've been cooler if he had a cup of tea or something to drink but dismissed it as possibly being taken the wrong way.

"Your ancestor and namesake…No way…Y-You're a descendant of THE Merlin Ambrosias" Reina spoke shocked as she realised, Merlin smirked slightly at everyone's shocked looks as he nodded

"Yes…Tsunagi is my mother's maiden name. I'm sure Sitri-san has worked it out by now" drawing a confused look from Reina who turned to regard Sona who smiled slightly as she explained

"Merlin A. Tsunagi…You disguised your heritage as your middle name and middle names aren't used too much any more. It meant you wouldn't draw any attention from us unless you wanted it"

"Exactly" Merlin spoke with a nod, ruffling his hair for a moment before stretching his body as he stood up before examining his aura as Tiamat spoke up

**[Your magic reserves have grown, other then that you've just got the standard upgrades from Sitri using [Pawns] on you]**

"I guess there isn't really a need to explain the history of the three factions" Reina spoke happily, Sona frowning as she decided to ask

"What happened to you to cause you to summon me?"

"It's a long story but the short version is someone from my past was getting revenge for something stupid after I had fought a Fallen Angel. I ended up underestimating his allies before getting smashed into a crater. Luckily, Tiamat called you and manipulated Phenex-san's [Bishop] so I could use it. She said your pieces wouldn't have worked otherwise"

"Tiamat…?" Reina and Sona spoke together in shock, Reina continuing

"As in the Blue Dragon King…"

"…Queen. She gets annoyed if you call her a King" Merlin replied, feeling Tiamat smiling happily as he corrected them while Reina almost seemed giddy at who her new servant was and the power he held while Sona gave him an impressed look as she spoke

"Well, you already know that your Phenex's [Bishop]…but I also used my three [Pawns] on you, each of them were mutated pieces"

Merlin nodding in understanding as he glanced around the room, taking in the auras of his fellow devil servants as he noticed they were standing/ sitting on opposite sides of the room. On the left was Sona's, who she chose to introduce first "These are my other pieces, Tsubaki Shinra, my [Queen], Reya Kusaka and Momo Hanakai, my [Bishops], Tomoe Meguri, my [Knight], Tsubasa Yura, my [Rook], and Genshirou Saji and Ruruko Nimura, my other [Pawns]."

"Nice to meet you all" Merlin greeted with a small bow, Saji frowning at him as Tiamat spoke up amused

**[It seems the boy has part of Vritra]**

Reina went onto introducing her group as Merlin looked them over with surprised to see two girls from his class, Kira Katase and Madoka Murayama sharing quiet whispers, both being [Pawns]. The others in the room he recognised to some degree, Kanu Unchou who was a [Knight], a third year purple haired beauty who ran the Spear Club alongside the Kendo Club, Kazehana Sahashi who was another [Bishop], a student from the college part of the school and who was drooled over by other boys due to her sexy figure and flirty personality. Also there was Aya Natsume who was a [Rook] and a cheery first year with orange hair and a large chest and being part of the Karate club with Tsubasa meant she wasn't someone the boys wanted to annoy and Yukari Takeba who was a third year and part of the Archery Club as well as being Reina's [Queen].

"So what are we going to do now then?" Merlin asked curiously, turning his gaze back onto Reina and Sona.

"I'd like to find out more about your capabilities, so what type of magic are you capable of using Merlin-san?" Sona asked curiously, Merlin taking a moment to think before counting off on his fingers

"I can do Enchantment Magic, Magician's Magic, Fairy Magic, Black Magic, White Magic, Devil Magic, Fallen Magic and Alchemy... If I went into every style we'd be here for the rest of the evening"

"A-amazing…" Reina and Sona spoke in shock, Merlin glancing around to see the other devils looking surprised while Yukari, Kazehana, Momo and Reya looked impressed at him and Saji looked at him angry and jealous.

Tiamat could only giggle amused at there reactions, she had been impressed when she awoke to find her host was the descendant of the First Magician and that he had taken to learning the magic systems of other factions with the help of some of the magic tomes he had in his library, some having gained more unexpected ways then others but still it was all for the greater good.

"So… Is there anything else left today or can I head home?" Merlin asked curiously, putting his hands into his pockets as he looked around the council room.

"No we just wanted to introduce you to our groups and inform you of the histories of the three factions but considering you already know it would be best to wait till tomorrow to see what training we need to do tomorrow after school" Sona answered, Reina nodding in reluctant agreement as Merlin replied

"Alright then… I'll see you all tomorrow then"

…

Merlin sighed as he pushed open the door of the small bungalow that was his home, the inside somewhat spartanly decorated as he closed the door behind him and slipped off his shoes. The layout was rather normal aside from the set of stairs against the far wall which led to the lower floors which wasn't known to anyone aside from people who had already visited.

The empty living room on his right was filled with three large plush sofas and a modest sized television and entertainment system, primarily for the uninvited guests that usually crashed at his place. On the left was a modest sized kitchen that had a large table with numerous chairs around it and at the back was his bedroom with a bathroom which was also connected to his bedroom as well as the hall.

"Looks like it'll be a quiet evening" Merlin spoke to himself with a sigh, Tiamat chuckling as she added

**[Well its better then letting that pink haired dragon brat and ice using stripper from destroying half the place]** Merlin nodded annoyed remembering the last time the pair of mages came around and ended up fighting for some stupid reason till he had knocked out both of them with sleep magic.

Glancing down at the floor, Merlin checked the faintly drawn magic circle that allowed his friends to transport straight into the place, a small part of him wondering why he put it there before remembering the blonde haired spirit summoner who got annoyed at him if he didn't keep in touch.

Overall there were three underground floors, each having there own bathroom, as did the ground floor. The first floor was filled with six guest rooms, glowing balls of yellow light attached to the walls to offer the same sort of daylight as if there was windows and would change brightness depending on the time of day or if they picked up anyone in the room. Although they would turn off if someone fell asleep in the room.

The second floor had three large rooms, one of which was his magical library/ laboratory/ store room for his Magician work and things he'd accumulated during his life so far. The other rooms were a large empty area which functioned as a training area for him and his guests and a cinema and games room.

The third floor was something he had added in at request from his frequent visitors, being a large pool, sauna and bathing area which he personally didn't use unless there were others around.

Merlin entered his own bedroom, dropping off his school bag onto the desk that sat in his room before starting to get changed into his normal outfit. This consisted of a pair of thick black slacks and dress shoes, a white long sleeved dress shirt which was hidden under a long green trench coat which was buttoned down to his waist at the front, the sides sloping back to make the ankle length back fan out behind him and allow him freedom of movement in a fight.

**[So we're going to the guild hall right?]** Tiamat asked knowingly, Merlin nodding as he answered

"I should at least tell them what happened otherwise Erza will kick my ass for not calling for help in a life or death situation"

**[She's going to do that anyway…]** Tiamat replied amused, Merlin frowning as he muttered

"Not helping…" Merlin sighed before remembering something he needed to check on as he held his hands out before him

"[Blade-Wing Tonfa]" Summoning the two blue tonfa, Merlin frowned at the large cracks that ran along there length remembering how fragile Artificial Sacred Gears were from the Azazel's notes before muttered

"At least they didn't break"

**[I still can't believe you made an Artificial Sacred Gear with one of my jewels… Especially with notes stolen from the Governor of Grigori]** Tiamat muttered annoyed, Merlin rolling his eyes as he pointed out

"Well I wasn't the one who stole the data…Anyway no one at the Khaos Brigade can try and make Artificial Sacred Gears now; I destroyed all their data and stole practically every magical object and tome I could get my hand on."

**[Yeah, that is how you met Lucy-chan isn't it… Her Knight in magic armour]** Tiamat spoke with an amused tone at seeing Merlin sigh as he dismissed the tonfa and muttered quietly

"Don't joke about that… I couldn't let those idiots try and take advantage of the magicians they had captured. Lucy-san has a lot of potential and I just couldn't let her be used by them"

**[Lucy-chan isn't going to give up on you, you know…?] **Tiamat spoke with a frown, Merlin shrugging his shoulders before dismissing his Artificial Sacred Gear and activating a transportation magic circle underneath his feet which flashed after a moment as it activated.

…

Opening his eyes, Merlin almost felt comfortable at the moderately packed storeroom he had found himself in, his gaze trailing to the magic circle that had been drawn onto the floor underneath him which would allow people to come to his home, it having been insisted by Lucy and a couple of others who didn't like the idea that he had taken to living in Japan rather then Fiore.

Fiore was a hidden Kingdom, positioned somewhere around the Bermuda Triangle and hidden by several heavy layers of magic barriers so the magical kingdom could preserve magic rather then the modern world which was driven on Science.

Taking a calming breathe at hearing the loud bangs and yells, Merlin moved to leave the storeroom to see another fight to be going on in the Fairy Tail guildhall. Luckily for Merlin, several key people were missing from the brawl that meant he wouldn't have to get dragged into it.

Ignoring the flying chairs and shouts as the mages continued to brawl, Merlin walked from the storeroom towards the bar while having to use small barrier magic circles to stop the flying projectiles that might have hit him.

"Hey Merlin-kun, if your looking for Lisanna-chan, she's not here at the moment" Mirajane spoke with a teasing smile as Merlin blushed slightly as he took a seat at the bar, offering her a slight smile as she handed him a mug of tea as he replied

"Hello Mirajane-san… How are you?"

"I'm good… Lucy isn't here either, Merlin-kun, although I think she and little sis are planning something" Mirajane answered, her teasing smile growing slightly as Merlin turning redder. Merlin started to regret explain to Makarov about Tiamat and the Dragon Aura which would mean he'd draw in women and rivals and the reason he wasn't going to join Fairy Tail within Mirajane's presence.

"I need to speak with Makarov-san" Merlin spoke after taking a moment to calm down Mirajane's smile dropping slightly as she replied

"Oh, Master is in his office… I can go get him if you like" Merlin nodded as he added his thanks before Mirajane went to get the Guild Master. Taking a long drink of his tea, Merlin let his thoughts wander as he realised if Lucy wasn't here then Erza wouldn't be either if they were on a mission. That realisation made him mentally sighing in relief at not picking her aura up as Tiamat chuckled

**[Looks like she won't be finding out for a bit then]**

"Hey Merlin…" A familiar upbeat female voice spoke behind him, Merlin smirking slightly as he glanced back to look at the shorter blue haired girl that was standing with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she asked

"Waiting for Lucy to come back or….?"

"Hi Levy… You know me and Lucy aren't like that" Merlin spoke with a sigh, the blunette moving to sit down on a stool next to him even as the black haired magician felt the eyes of Levy's two teammates locked on him as she added

"Yet… You know she and Lisanna talk about you a lot to me. Oh, thanks for the book on Script Magic, it's really helped me"

"Don't worry about the book, I've never had much interest in Script Magic myself… as for Lucy-san and Lisanna-san, well we're just friends" Merlin replied, taking another sip of his drink and missing Levy's frown as another voice spoke up

"I know things are dangerous around you, Merlin but keeping people at arm length will only hurt them in the end"

"Yes but it avoids people getting in danger cause of me…Makarov-san" Merlin replied, looking up at the elderly mage who was frowning at him as he added

"You noticed already right?"

"Yes… What happened?" Makarov spoke seriously, Merlin taking a calming breathe as he started to explain.

…

Reina and Sona sat opposite each other as they looked at the chessboard between them, the match being about who would be taking the lead in Merlin's Devil training although both knew that any magic training was unneeded for the descendant of the [First Magician] and the fact they had found him in a modest sized crater when they had both been summoned by Tiamat.

"Merlin-san certainly seems like an interesting person" Sona spoke as she made her move, Reina nodding as he replied proudly

"Fitting for a member of my peerage, Sitri"

"Let me remind you Phenex, neither of us would have revived him on our own" Sona shot back, Reina grumbling about know-it-alls as she made her next move.

"Checkmate" Sona stated with a small smile, Reina frowning as she looked over the board before grumbling

"Fine… I'll have Kira bring him here tomorrow so we can start on his training"

"Good…" Sona replied with a small smile, Reina huffing as she moved to leave the Student Council room, Yukari moving to catch up with her as Reina asked

"What do you think of Merlin-san?" Looking at her [King], Yukari took a few moments to think, a small smile forming on her face as she answered

"Merlin-san is the smartest of his year, he's tactically minded given that he hid the fact he was a Magician and the host of the Chaos Karma Dragon from all of the supernatural beings in the school and he's nothing like the other guys at this school… Honestly I think he's a great addition even if we have to share him with Sitri-san"

"Sounds like someone has a crush on our new [Bishop]" Reina smirked slightly at her friend and [Queen] turned red and looked away, the blonde giggling before she continued

"But I agree with you, Merlin-san possibly has the power to give even Riser-niisan and his peerage a run for his money and he's the best guy at this school to join our peerage. Honestly I don't know what Gremory was thinking with Hyodo even if he is the wielder of the [Boosted Gear]"

Yukari scowled at the thought of lead pervert of the Perverted Trio, nodding in agreement at remembering that the Perverted Trio had been getting away with their antics for too long and now one of them potentially could annoy them for longer if the Phenex-Gremory Union happened.

…

Merlin mentally groaned as he walked to school the next day, the reactions from the guild members and Makarov has been what he had expected. They were all annoyed and angry at him for not calling for their help but were at least relieved he was alive, although Mirajane nearly went [Satan Soul] on him to beat some sense into him only to be placated when Merlin had said he'd take Lisanna and Lucy on dates when they came back and Makarov pointed out Erza would kick his ass anyway then she came back from her mission with the others.

It also hadn't helped that Merlin had been stuck with nightmares for what Erza had done the last time she saw fit to punish him which almost ended with him losing a limb to her sword if he hadn't given her some strawberry cheesecake he had just bought.

**[At least now you know to let her buy her cake first]** Tiamat commented with a chuckle, Merlin mentally nodding before a friendly voice broke his thoughts.

"Good morning Merlin-sempai!" Aya spoke with a friendly smile, Merlin turning to see her walking on his left as he offered the auburn haired girl a small smile as he replied

"Morning Nastume-san"

"You can call me Aya, Sempai" Aya pouted at hearing him call her be her family name, Merlin replying with a slight smile

"Alright then…" Aya nodded understandingly as they continued walking drawing looks from the other students before Reina and Yukari's voice called out from behind them

"Good morning, Merlin-san, Aya-chan"

"Morning Phenex-sempai, Takeba/Yukari-sempai" Merlin and Aya greeted the blonde and brunette she-devils, both of there smiles grew as Yukari took to walking on Merlin's other side while Reina stood next to Aya before looked him over before asking

"How are you adapting Merlin-san?"

"I'm fine…I used a spell to improve my resistance to the sun this morning" Merlin replied quietly, Reina's smile growing as they started to see the other students travelling to school as well, there hushed whispers filling the air as they wondered why Merlin was walking with Aya, Reina and Yukari.

As the school came within sight, Merlin could see Sona talking to Rias Gremory while Tsubaki listened in as Reina spoke up "Looks like Gremory is trying to find out about that crater you left Merlin"

"Oh that…" Merlin spoke, realising that he had caused quite a mess when fighting Hercules

**[Half of Fairy Tail would be proud of that]** Tiamat spoke with a sigh as Merlin spoke

"Morning Kaichou, Fukukaichou, Gremory-san"

"Good Morning Merlin-san, I was just talking to Rias about a new student and why she doesn't understand about adding you to my group" Sona spoke, Merlin nodding as Reina asked

"Another Devil in your group Gremory…?"

"Yes, Phenex, I have my Second [Bishop]" Rias replied with a frown as Merlin asked

"It makes sense, Gremory isn't very good at sensing auras so I doubt she would notice that I was a descendant of the [First Magician], let alone a Magician to begin with or that I even had Tiamat within my Sacred Gear"

Rias' mouth dropped open at hearing that, Reina smirking as she added "Yeah, Gremory Merlin here is my [Bishop] now… Although I do have to share him with Sitri"

Rias heard the mumbled latter part looking confused to Sona who explained "I used my three [Pawn] pieces on him while he already held Phenex's [Bishop] and they both got included in the revival ritual"

"Well at least Ise took up eight Pawn pieces and I have full control of him" Rias spoke with a smirk, Sona and Merlin rolling there eyes before the former retorted

"The three [Pawns] were Mutation pieces, Rias, at the very least Merlin-san has already taken the equivalent [Pawns] to match up to a [Queen] and even if I do have to share him, Merlin-san is stronger then Hyodo" Rias frowning again, wondering how she could have overlooked Merlin's potential before Tsubaki spoke up

"Kaichou…"

"Right Tsubaki… We have some paperwork still to do, Phenex don't forget about bringing Merlin to the Council Room after school"

"I've already informed his guide about it" Reina replied while rolling her eyes, Rias smirking slightly while Merlin arched an eyebrow before realising the time and the group splitting up to head to there own classrooms.

…

Class had been interesting for Merlin, he'd been questioned about why he was walking with Yukari, Aya, Reina and seen talking to Rias, Sona and Tsubaki by the rest of the class which he managed to explain as he was walking in the same direction as the former three and Sona had asked him to be apart of the Student Council yesterday and he was checking in with what she wanted him to do today.

That had shocked most of the class although he had heard a few of the girls cry out that they were losing him to Sona and Reina, not that he knew of a small fan club before the outburst and given Tiamat a laugh at how he had missed them in the first place.

Currently it was the end of the day and Merlin was packing up his stuff as Kira and Madoka stopped before his desk, a nervous smile playing on both of there faces, along with a slight blush, as the former spoke "Phenex-sempai asked me to bring you to the Council room"

Merlin nodded in understanding, finishing packing his bag as he stood up and spoke "Alright…"

…

Author's Notes

Here's the first chapter of the rewrite. There's several differences I've made the most prominent is Merlin was part of the Khaos Brigade before which seemed like something I really overlooked with doing given who his ancestor is and what Cao Cao was doing with gathering descendants of Heroes and also will explain the power up Merlin has gotten as well which is also the reason I changed his place in Sona's peerage so as to not kick out Loup and to represent Merlin's new strength which is about Queen level.

Also I will be including part of Fairy Tail as well as incorporating a few Magic styles from there like the Dragon Slayer Style Merlin uses in this chapter and also Archive Magic. The Chaos Cannon is still in his base form so Merlin doesn't have a second gun and I'm not sure about having him unlock a second gun with the boost in Magic abilities I'm giving him.

Blade-Wing Tonfa is an Artificial Sacred Gear made from Merlin follow stolen notes from Azazel, as explained above, and is as every bit unstable as Azazel's Downfall Spear at the moment.

As for Reina's peerage, I changed them for the most part as I wasn't too knowledgeable about the characters I picked before. Yukari Takeba is from the Persona series, Kazehana is from Sekirei, Kanu is from Ikkitousen and Aya is from Tenjou Tenge.

Anyway hope you enjoy this.


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